David Simpson

2017, a New Year, New Goals

Posted on January 12, 2017

It is hard to believe, but the first month of 2017 is underway! It is remarkable how the older I get the quicker that life seems to fly by.

This is going to be a fantastic year, Kennedy will celebrate her second birthday, we’ll probably take our first family vacation somewhere, and we are building out the Design Team at Datto to accomplish big things.

When I was younger I would think about resolution lists, but in the rapid pace of the last few years I haven’t stopped to think about this. As a person who cares deeply about process and analytics, I should really make time for this kind thinking to see if i’m achieving my goals as life goes by. The purpose of the list is to explore the fun of family life, push me both personally and professionally to live to the best of my potential, and most importantly to push me out of my comfort zone. And at the end of the day writing these down is a good way to take the commitment seriously and allow me to look back over the year and see how i’m doing.

This will be an ongoing, living New Year Resolution list. I plan to continue adding to this list throughout the year, and even use it to track my progress. It is never to late to start or change direction, the most important thing is staying committed to investing in yourself.

So here are my goals, grouped to ensure I keep balance:

#Learn

  1. Read 50 Books
  2. Go to a major industry UX conference
  3. Write a new blog post weekly (or at least regularly)
  4. Learn more about VC and launching a product company
  5. Take a class/course on illustration
  6. Design & Build an iOS app

#Family

  1. Take first family vacation
  2. Spend time outside with Kennedy, every day
  3. Get Kennedy her first outdoor swingset/playground
  4. Start potty training with Kennedy (yikes)

#Career

  1. Post 100 Dribbble Shots (In Progress - 3)
  2. Complete overhaul of website & brand (In Progress)
  3. Complete 2-4 side projects
  4. Find an event to speak at (small event!)

#Personal

  1. Buy 30 homeless people lunch (or any meal) (In Progress - 1)
  2. Provide a personal note of encouragement to someone every week
The end

What do you think?

Do you have any questions or comments (positive or negative!) about this article? Don't be shy, I'd love to hear from you, ping me on Twitter.

Tweet @Simpson